TAKE ON ME [Survival LITRPG Apocalypse]

I wish Tess would just trigger the wave.

Everyone else was still discussing the tutorial information, asking questions, re-reading the prompts, and discussing scenarios.

Amber pulled a [Crappy Copper Dagger] from its sheath. She couldn't wait for the [Blacksmiths] to make her the [Basic Bronze Knuckleduster Dagger] she had received as her Headless Dungeon reward.

Amber looked down at the Dagger, then flicked it straight up, high over her head.

She didn't look up; she didn't have to.

A sharp tingling burned on the back of Amber's scalp; her Dungeon ability [Spider's Grace] was alerting her that she was in danger of getting stabbed in the top of her head. Amber took one small step forward.

The tingle flickered in and out as it traveled down the back of her neck, between her shoulder blades, and down her spine. Through long hours of practice, Amber knew the tingle was timed with the rotation of the sharp Dagger blade. When the tingle winked out, she snatched her hand out behind her and caught the Dagger without ever looking at it.

Dungeon abilities were no joke; this was by far the favorite of all her abilities.

Everyone in the group needs one.

"I'm glad the first few waves will be low level while we find our bearings here," Tom said, frowning at Amber's little stunt.

Tess nodded. "The first waves should be fine, but we can't forget the wildcard element. The tutorial says Bosses and rare spawns, whatever those are, can appear on any wave. We need to be smart about this."

"Exactly," Tom said.

Ah jeez, come on guys. They're Level 1.

Amber checked the timer.

Ugh, eight more minutes.

"Okay, let's get into position," Tess said.

The symbol for Tess's [Tactical Insight] spell flickered above her head.

"This way." Tess took the group a few minutes' walk deeper into the zone. "The terrain here has several natural advantages if we use them right."

To Amber's left, a limestone bluff rose at least fifteen feet.

"We'll fight here and use this as a natural barrier," said Tess. "I assume the wave will come to us." She pointed to the bluff's base. "Finn, Bo, Chloe, Hana, Richard, Loo: backs to the wall. Spread out enough so that you won't interfere with each other's casting, but stay within healing range for Finn to easily get to you."

They moved without question, though Loo gave a loud 'whisper' to Amber.

"See? I'm in the back. No fighting."

She is such a . . . turd.

Back in the Spider Dungeon, a small switch had been flipped for Amber. She would never say it out loud, but there had been some moments of absolute terror. She secretly found herself agreeing with her Dad's safety attitude more and more . . . which she hated.

Yes, being stuck in the webs, and trapped next to the cocooned and soon-to-be exploding remains of dead people had . . . sucked.

However, she was no stranger to pushing through fear. During the very first practice of her first advanced gymnastics season, she had been so excited . . . and then she fractured both her ankles while trying a double backflip on the beam.

After getting the casts off she had been terrified to try again. But she had forced herself to get up on that beam.

What was the other option? Lose and suck?

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So even though the Spider Dungeon had shaken her, she had gotten into the training area and worked with [Spider's Grace] for hours on end. She still had a lot of training to do, but the ability to 'feel' danger was a huge confidence booster. Amber was back on the horse and ready to compete.

Although she still hated spiders.

And Ellen keeps asking me to train with Cupcake.

Amber shuddered.

And then there was Loo, who was still being a snot about training.

How am I going to keep her sa . . .

She frowned.

Great. I've turned into my Dad.

"Tom, you're up there. High ground for tanking." Tess pointed to a mound with around three feet of elevation: almost like a pitcher's mound.

Tom stepped onto the rise, testing his footing. His Iron armor caught the sunlight streaming through the canopy. He looked like something out of a legend. In all of Foundation, Tom alone had Iron armor because of his abilities.

"Amber, you're flanking position. Those trees to my right: use them for cover between orders."

Amber smiled and gave two thumbs-up.

"Kate in Bear form will move up next to Tom to off-tank. I'll hang out just behind you two: close enough to off-tank or damage if needed, but far enough to take time to issue orders."

Tess's hands moved through the air as she made a few last adjustments on the [Battle Map]. She had Richard shift left since his spells needed a direct line of sight, whereas Hana's and Chloe's did not. She moved Loo slightly back so her mana buffs would hit more people.

The timer showed three minutes remaining. Around them, the Deep Woods seemed to hold its breath. No bird chirped. No insect buzzed. Not even a breeze rustled the thick leaves.

"Remember," Tess said, trying to be loud but not shout. "We don't know what's coming. Could be anything from rabbits to ogres. Just remember they're Level 1. Stay sharp, call out surprises, and don't break formation."

Two minutes.

Amber leaned against a tree. She was getting irritated; she had been looking forward to this, but now all she could do was worry about Loo.

It's just Level 1, we'll be fine. Chill out.

But then . . . it had been Level 1 Spiders that had dropped onto Loo.

One minute.

"Here we go," Tess said.

The forest shivered like a struck tuning fork. The ground trembled, and then the foliage exploded.

Ten [Level 1 Giant Ozark Beetles] burst from the underbrush in a skittering line, each black as night and the size of a coffee table. Their serrated bright-yellow mandibles clicked over mouths that let loose continuous tea-kettle whistles that made Amber's teeth ache.

They moved . . . strangely, with sudden bursts of speed followed by sluggish movements, like they had to slow down to recharge. But their path was apparent as they headed straight for the group.

Tess slapped out one of her prebuilt group plays through her [Battle Map]. She had it labeled as 'Standard Formation Seven': designed for multiple weak enemies. The same one they would use for ten Level 1 Headless.

Tom stepped forward on his rise and banged his Flail's handle against his wooden Shield. The Beetles swarmed toward him.

Kate shifted into her Bear form and surged forward to fight by his side.

Three Beetles veered toward the support line. Tess marked them for Chloe, and fear spread like oil on water from one creature to the next thanks to her [Paranoia]. They froze mid-scuttle, mandibles clacking against nothing as they whistle-screamed.

"Focus! Fire on my mark! Amber, get the stragglers."

What stragglers?

Practice was always a good thing, but it was almost silly how seriously Tess was taking the fight. The Beetles died embarrassingly easily. Nine Level 5's and Richard at Level 4 against Level 1-anything wasn't a fight. It was pest control.

Amber didn't even move from her spot in the trees.

Thirty seconds from spawn to total victory.

Amber wasn't the only one standing around. She looked at Bo. "We should get you a bow or something, so you're not just standing around when you're not singing. Just 'cause you're not a [Ranger], doesn't mean you can't shoot a bow. You just won't have any special archery spells."

"Interesting thought," Chloe said. "Is it better to diversify, or do we focus on crafting mana gear so that Bo can sing every battle?"

"I like the bow idea," said Bo. "Anything's better than a shitty microphone staff."

"Songs every fight would be better," Tess said, "but either way, good thought. Save it for another day. Let's get focused for the next round."

Tess peered into the air in front of her. "Mana bars: nearly full. Health: untouched. Morale: strong. No point wasting time. Here we go." Tess triggered Wave 2 before the corpses of Wave 1 had dissolved.

As the prompt had said, this wave was just like the first. Another ten [Level 1 Giant Ozark Beetles] emerged: identical to Wave 1, including their loud shrieks. Tess used the same battle pattern, and the wave was quickly destroyed. The only difference was Amber did a flip off one of the Beetle's backs for fun.

Wave 3 brought [Level 2 Giant Ozark Beetles]. They were slightly larger, with darker carapaces, and mandible-clacks that caused small amounts of eardrum damage. However, Level 2 was still fodder for their group. Richard's [Fire Wall] enclosed several Beetles at once: his mastery and placement of fire spells was growing. The Beetles all died in under a minute.

Tess triggered Wave 4 without consultation.

Amber approved; it would be good to push their limits, as they wouldn't be able to control the waves when the giant monster horde reached them.

Wave 4's [Level 3 Enraged Giant Ozark Beetles] were tougher, and some lasted long enough that Amber actually got to kill one.

Wave 5 was also [Enraged Giant Ozark Beetles]: however, these were Level 4.

Levels did make a big difference: fighting ten Level 4s was a big step up from fighting ten Level 1s. The Beetles poured from the forest like a chittering avalanche. Tom and Kate the Bear roared as they used their [Taunt] spells to absorb most of the wave.

One Beetle resisted the [Taunt] entirely; it rushed past Tom toward the support line.

Tess intercepted it, and slammed her Shield into its face. A moment later, its torso was rocked by a [Fireball]. Amber—after finally receiving a battle order—launched herself at it. She slammed both her Daggers into its back, between its raised plates.

Another Beetle broke free from the tanks. Kate the Bear roared and pounced on it, and her claws screeched against chitin. At Level 4 the Beetles did not die easily. Spells and weapons hammered against the monsters, and the last Beetle fell to a particularly angry stab from Amber.

"I'm still all about leveling and gas pedal and all that, but at what point do we think about backing out between waves?" Tom asked. A Beetle's amputated mandible was trapped in his plate armor. "I don't want to bite off more than we can chew and pull a bunch of monsters back to town."

"Wait, what?" said Amber. "That was only Wave 5! We just got here!"

"He's right," Tess said. "I want to level too, but with each wave we run the risk of spawning a Boss or a 'rare' something, whatever that is. The next wave says the monsters skip a level in difficulty. If we get an unexpected Boss on top of that, we might actually get ourselves killed."

"But we haven't leveled yet! We gotta push it. You guys saw the giant headed our way."

"You both have valid points," Tess said. She sighed. "All right, I'm thinking we fight this next wave and leave."

"Just the one?!"

"Amber, Wave 6 skips a level and will be Level 6's. We're a bunch of Level 5's. This next wave is already going to be hard. We cannot get in over our heads." Tess forced a smile. "We'll be back tomorrow. Plus, we're gonna hit the Headless Dungeon right after this."

I suppose . . .

Tess called for a full rest, letting the fifteen-minute timer run down naturally.

Cooldowns were reset, and everyone was able to catch their breath.

The timer hit zero.

"This is our last wave, so don't hold back," Tess said.